Noted Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin, joined his first group, the Val Bennett band, at the age of 15. In the late '50s, he joined a studio group called Clue J and his Blues Blasters, recording several instrumentals for Coxsone Dodd, including "Shuffling Jug," regarded as one of the first ska records. In the mid '60s he recorded two jazz albums for the Merritone label, WRANGLIN (1964) and REFLECTIONS (1965). Throughout the '60s and '70s he worked as a studio musician and arranger for many of Jamaica’s top producers, and maintained a solo career with albums such as RANGLIN ROOTS (1977) and FROM KINGSTON JA TO MIAMI USA (1982). After a lengthy recording hiatus, the magical IN SEARCH OF THE LOST RIDDIM (1998) was the first release on Chris Blackwell’s label, Palm Pictures.